


scenes from the cutting room floor

by ironicpotential, TaFuilLiom



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, One Shot Collection
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-27
Updated: 2018-07-01
Packaged: 2019-05-29 02:24:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15062966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ironicpotential/pseuds/ironicpotential, https://archiveofourown.org/users/TaFuilLiom/pseuds/TaFuilLiom
Summary: Just a bunch of fixits from a couple of misfits. Ratings may vary.





	1. 2x11

**Author's Note:**

> Another experiment in which @TaFuilLiom is the master of dialogue and I filled in the rest.

Maggie stood outside Kara’s apartment, shifting her weight back and forth. She remembered the last time she waited outside the apartment of another Danvers sister with clammy hands, a pizza, and a well-rehearsed speech. She only had one of those this time, she thought, wiping her sweaty palms on her jeans.

Maybe she should have brought a pizza this time too.

She looked down at the neatly wrapped package in her hands. It had taken her almost twenty minutes in the convenience store just to decide which card best conveyed the message _“I’m sorry I’m partly responsible for taking up all of your sister’s time but I ~~love~~ really like her and also Happy Birthday!”_ Eventually, she chose a simple gift tag and some polka dotted wrapping paper.

She took a deep breath, squared her shoulders and rapped sharply on the door, resisting the urge to announce herself. Even off duty, she found it hard to shake some habits.

The door swung open and Kara appeared, sporting a small frown and a fuzzy blue sweater. Clearly Maggie was one of the last people she expected. “Oh, hi.”

Maggie managed a small smile, raising her hand in greeting. “Hey, I hope it isn’t too late?”

“No, it’s- no come in.” Kara waved her inside and motioned for her to sit at the kitchen island before turning to the stove, where a petite, blue teapot had started to whistle. Kara poured them both a cup - peppermint - not something she’d normally choose herself, but oddly comforting.

Maggie took in Kara’s apartment over the brim of her cup, noting how well the decor reflected the woman before her. The first time she had accompanied Alex to game night at Kara’s, her girlfriend had mentioned the apartment used to belong to her, but Maggie thought it really suited her sister more. There was something about how light and airy it was.

“Is something wrong? Is Alex okay?” Kara asked, pulling Maggie’s focus back.

“Alex is fine, it’s… actually I…” Maggie steadied her nerves and slid the small package across the counter towards Kara. “This is for you.”

“Me?” Kara took the package, carefully turning it over, running her fingers reverently over the gift tag as if it were the first present she had ever received. She looked up at Maggie, confusion etched across her face.

“Well, uh, Alex mentioned that it was your Earth birthday last night, and that’s why…” She gestured lamely with her hand towards the package, unsure how to explain. “I just felt bad that I didn’t know. I’m sorry it’s late.”

“Maggie, did you…” Kara clutched it to her chest, eyes shining. “Did you get me a birthday present?”

“Yeah?” Maggie treaded carefully. She’d been so sure that this would be a good idea. An olive branch as it were. Something to show Kara that she recognized how important she was to Alex. “Wait, do...you not do that on Krypton?”

“Oh, uh-” Kara looked off to the side, lost in memory. “No one except Alex and Eliza has ever really...cared before. Or known.”

Maggie knew this. Alex had told her about Kara’s first Earth Birthday - a celebration of the day Kara first landed on Earth. It had been her father’s idea, Alex had explained wistfully. A way to make Kara feel like part of the family. To feel like she had a home.

As someone who hadn’t always had the luxury of a group of people she could call family, Maggie understood how important that must have been. She’d broken down during her Freshman year in college when a few of her friends from the LGBTQ group pooled together some money to get her something small. But if it’s just a Danvers family tradition…

“Did I overstep?”

“No, God Maggie, no.” Kara looked up to meet Maggie’s eyes, back on Earth once again, and offered her a smile. Not her usual “Sunny Danvers” grin, but something softer. A little sad. “This is really nice.”

The corners of Maggie’s mouth twitched up in return.

Gifts were always a special thing in the Rodas household. Her family never had a lot of money. While her father made enough money as a police officer for her mother to stay home, there wasn’t a whole lot left for extras at the end of the month. As she got older, she learned this and never really asked for anything she wanted. But every Christmas, there’d always be the one present she coveted all year waiting for her under the tree. She knew now, making the salary she did, that her father had scrimped and saved to make sure that she had it.

Birthdays were less of an event, but her fifteenth was going to be special. She’d heard her mother on the phone with her aunt chattering on about the fancy dress and the gifts and the party.

The party she’d never have.

It wasn’t about the gift. Not really. It was what the gift signified. That acknowledgement that someone cared enough to give an object meaning because they were giving it to _you_.

Kara ripped into the paper, the tearing sound bringing Maggie back to the present. Inside were two paperbacks: _Cupcakes and Kalashnikovs_ by Eleanor Mills and _Tell Me No Lies_ by John Pilger. Both celebrations of investigative journalism that Maggie hoped would speak to Kara’s unique position as a female reporter and to her unwavering quest for truth and justice.

“You probably already have copies but...I figured you’d like them,” she explained. (Though she was positive that Kara did not in fact own them. She _was_ a detective after all.)

Satisfied that her gift had been well received, she motions towards the door. “I should-”

“Do you wanna stay for some cake?” Kara interjected, setting the books down on the counter. “It’s kinda stupid, really. Alex got me a cupcake. But I just...I bought myself a real cake today, just because...” She trailed off, pushing her glasses up on her nose.

Maggie chanced a small chuckle. “And you haven’t demolished it yet?”

Kara shrugged sheepishly and pulled the cake out of the fridge. She scrunched her face up in concentration as she measured out two equal slices and Maggie was struck for the first time by how _young_ Kara really was. She was so used to seeing her in the cape, lifting aliens three times her size, it was easy to forget that she was just a twenty-something woman, trying to find her place in the world.

She handed Maggie a plate and they tucked in.

“You know, I’m glad Alex has you,” Kara mumbled through a mouthful of cake.

Maggie set her fork down and tilted her head to the side. “Oh yeah?”

“Yeah. I…” Kara swallowed and paused, pushing some frosting around absentmindedly. “I got a little jealous about...the time you guys were spending together.”

A rush of guilt flowed through Maggie. It was true, she and Alex had been practically attached at the hip lately. Her wide-eyed baby gay of a girlfriend had proved to be insatiable after their first night together. And honestly, Maggie couldn’t say that she minded. She’d never felt so comfortable in a relationship, even one so new.

But Maggie had never dated anyone with such a tight knit family connection before. Not only were the sisters incredibly close, they worked together. Needless to say, she needed to make things right with Kara or she could foresee serious issues down the line.

“I’m sorry, Kara. If I’m overstepping or-”

“No, please, it’s fine.” Kara raised a hand to stop her. “I just didn’t realise Alex was gonna turn girl crazy once she got a girlfriend. No offence.”

They both shared a laugh at that. “None taken.” Maggie shook her head fondly at the thought of Alex. “Yeah, she’s, uh, enthusiastic.”

“Okay, gross, end that right there.” Kara’s face twisted up in mock disgust, spurring on another round of laughter. A bright, genuine smile found it’s way to Kara’s face. “Seriously though. I’m glad she found you.”

Maggie ducked her head down at the expression of approval. Not used to the attention, she decided to change the subject. “I read your article on the recent fraud and money laundering charges brought against Freddy Gunther.”

Kara looked surprised. “Oh, you did?”

Maggie nodded. “Yeah. You could have taken some cheap shots at him. Some of the other publications did.”

“I just...I don’t think…” Kara set her plate down, the cake long devoured, and stared thoughtfully at the countertop. “There’s something that doesn’t add up about the charges, and how they found the evidence.”

Maggie hummed. She’d thought that too. She’d overheard a rumor that the politician, an alien benefitting from the fact that he was human-passing, was being set up by rivals and used as a scapegoat. Her unit was going to be sent in incognito to look into it.

As if on cue, her phone rang - one of her informants who she’d sent to gather up the scraps from the underground rumour mill. She answered, raising a finger to Kara to indicate she’d take just a minute.

“Yeah?...Yeah, I’ll be there in twenty.”

She hung up, sighing tiredly.

“Back to work?” Kara asked.

“With a belly full of cake, yeah.” She pocketed her phone and got up from the barstool, stretching. “Thanks, by the way.”

Kara gave her a dismissive wave. “No problem. Be safe out there. And thank you for the…” She patted the books.

Maggie paused at the door, thinking about Kara’s heart and intuition as a journalist. “Hey, you should come with me some time. Learn how to talk to confidential informants. Could be good practise for when you get sources for investigative pieces.”

Kara blinked in surprise. “I- yeah that would be great, Maggie.”

“Great.” She flashed Kara a bright grin, dimples and all, and waved. “See you around, Danvers.”


	2. 2X08

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maggie Sawyer walks into a pizza shop...

She’d left the DEO in a daze. One minute she was responding to a call to L Corp and the next she was lying on the floor, a searing pain rippling through her shoulder, her life flashing before her eyes.

She hadn’t slept well. The local anesthetic that Alex applied in the med bay had quickly worn off and she had been stubbornly refusing to take the painkillers the agent had prescribed since. Instead she just stayed in bed, staring up at the ceiling, rubbing the spot where the bandage sat, trying to soothe the ache.

The pain was a reminder of how close she had come.

She had tried to go to work - she had several open cases that needed her attention, after all - but she only lasted three hours before her captain sent her home. She had tried to convince herself that it was for the best, but even desk duty would be better than sitting alone in her tiny apartment, replaying that moment over and over in her mind.

Not getting shot - she could do without experiencing _that_ ever again - but the low lighting of Dollywood, Bahari playing softly from the bar stereo. Alex’s hands, calloused but gentle as they pulled Maggie in. _That kiss_ … and then the look on Alex’s face as Maggie ripped her heart out and crushed it.

She had to fix it.

Maggie grunted, opening the door to the pizza place with her bad arm - force of habit - and the smell of pizza comforted her almost instantly, the grease lingering heavy in the air.

She casually waved to the young man behind the counter - Stilton’s son, Paul. Good kid. Always remembered her usual order and asked thoughtful questions about her cases when she stopped by after a long night spent at the station. She had mused more than once that his attention to detail would serve him well on the force. Maybe she’d see about taking him to HQ for a tour one day.

Tonight, however, she wouldn’t be ordering her usual.

She looked around the shop (a cop can’t ever be too careful, especially late at night) and spotted a girl standing in the corner, leaning up against the wall, staring glassy-eyed at her phone.

Maggie approached slowly so as not to startle the girl, head tilted to the side. “Hey, you okay?”

“Me? Dandy.” The girl’s voice was cheerful as she drew out the last word.

Drunk, but not too far gone, Maggie noted. Not a danger to herself anyway. She checked her watch and quirked an eyebrow. “Little early to be calling it a night, isn’t it?”

“It was my friend’s birthday, but she starting having a fight with her boyfriend and it got ugly so…” The girl shrugged, gesturing vaguely. “I don’t have time for that.”

“Good choice.”

Maggie sat down at a dingy, wobbling table nearby and pulled out a pen, clicking it on and off, full of nervous energy. She sighed, glancing at the grease-stained paper menu as she scribbled some notes on a napkin.

“Are you writing pizza poetry?”

Maggie looked up at the girl, now hovering over her table.

“Pizza poet-?” Maggie cut herself off and looked down at the mess of scratched out words on the napkin. “Uh, no. Um…” She scratched the back of her head, unsure whether she wanted to open herself up to this complete stranger. “I’m not amazing at big speeches, and I-”

“Oh my god. I am, okay-” The girl scraped a chair over and joined her at the table excitedly. “I’m a creative writing major, I can totally help you.”

“Okay…” Maggie raised an eyebrow, amused. She’d taken a creative writing course in college too, but it wasn’t proving to be much help.

“What’s the speech’s purpose?” the girl slurred, her drunkenness becoming more apparent.

Maggie leaned back in her chair, pinching the bridge of her nose. “I screwed up. I told someone I didn’t wanna be with them but I realise now that was just cause I was scared.”

The girl huffed out a puff of air. “Yikes, you need a big apology speech.”

“Uh, yeah.” Maggie slumped forward onto the table, head in her hands. She rubbed tiredly at her temples.

“Is the pizza part of the apology?”

Maggie looked down at the menu again, the words on the page blurring together. “Yeah...”

“Hmmm…” The girl tapped a finger at her lips in contemplation. “Play it safe. Get toppings you know you’ll like.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah.” The girl shrugged as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “If your apology goes shitty, you’re gonna need it to cheer you up.”

“Thanks,” Maggie said dryly with a quirk of an eyebrow. She stood from the table and shuffled over the the counter where Paul was giving her a sympathetic smile. In the end, she did order her usual - sausage and green peppers - and sat back down at the table. Drunk College Girl was right, at least if she fucked it up, she’d be able to drown her sorrows in cheese and grease.

The girl gave her a nod of approval and a thumbs up as she got up to collect her own order, but instead of leaving with her personal pizza, she sat back down at Maggie’s table.

Drunk Girl pulled a slice out of the box and took a large bite. “Tell me about the guy.”

“Girl,” Maggie corrected distractedly.

A wide smile stretched its way across Drunk Girl’s face. “Even better.”

Maggie found herself caught off-guard by the girl’s easy acceptance. Despite how far she had come since Blue Springs she still prepared for the worst each time she met someone new. “She came out for me-”

“Uh oh,” Drunk Girl mumbled around her food, eyes widening.

“Exactly. Told her sister, and then her mom.” Maggie closed her eyes thoughtfully, shaking her head with a wry smile. All things considered, she was proud of Alex. “But then I almost died-”

“What the-?”

“I’m a cop,” Maggie quickly interjected.

“Oh, okay.” Drunk Girl squinted at her, clearly trying to wrap her head around Maggie’s brush with death.

“And she gave me this whole speech about how she’s accepted that it wasn’t just about me, and she was always gay and that she...” Maggie trailed off, searching for the right words. “That she was getting used to the idea that she was gonna live as an out lesbian.”

“So what, you wanna get laid or is this more?” Drunk Girl raised an eyebrow and then shoved the rest of her pizza crust into her mouth.

“Uh, no. I actually do like her.” Maggie bit her lip as images of Alex flitted through her head. “I really like her. This could be serious. I wanna date her, not just get her between the sheets.”

“Okay,” Drunk Girl wiped her greasy hands on her jeans, leaving stains that Maggie was sure she’d regret in the morning. “You’ve gotta go cheesy, super romantic.”

“How cheesy?”

“You almost died, right? That’s some tragedy right there.” She set her elbow on the table, her cheek propped up by her fist. “Why’d that change your mind about her?”

Maggie took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “I uh...I guess life is too short-.”

Drunk Girl tapped at the napkin with her index finger. “Put it down.”

“Okay.” Maggie jotted it down on the now crumpled napkin.

“Life’s too short, you could have died. What would you have regretted? What’s the…” Drunk Girl paused, eyes glazing over as she lost her train of thought. “...point?”

Maggie sighed, looking past the girl’s shoulder and out the window. It was late, but the street was still bustling. A young couple walked by arm-in-arm and Maggie’s heart sank. “I would have regretted not telling her how I really feel.”

“How d’ya really feel?” Drunk Girl took another slice of pizza out of her box and shoved half of it into her mouth, grease dripping messily down her chin and onto the table.

“That I would have died and she would have believed the bullshit I told her to hide my own feelings.” Maggie’s fingers drifted towards her injury, subconsciously remembering how tenderly Alex had treated her wound despite how things had been left between them. “She would have thought for the rest of her life that I didn’t wanna...be with her. Date her and hold her and...” She shrugged as if the rest were obvious.

“Be super honest then.” Drunk Girl wiped the grease from her face with the back of her hand. “Tell her you got scared, but you’re not scared now. Cause she’s not, right?”

Maggie closed her eyes, deep in thought. She knew courage. She went to work every day knowing that one day it might be her last. But Alex Danvers redefined courage. Striding into the alien bar and pulling her in for that earth-shattering kiss was an act of bravery if she ever saw one. And then the way she had stood up for herself - the way she had called Maggie out in the parking lot, a defiant fire in her eyes...

Alex knew who she was and what she wanted and she wasn’t afraid to go after it.

Maggie stared blankly down at the napkin, tapping the tip of her pen in frustration. “No, she’s not.”

“Almost dying didn’t change your mind about _her_ , it just changed your mind about beating around the bush. So don’t beat around-” Drunk Girl snorts out a laugh, mumbling the word _bush_ between snickers. She shook her head at her own joke. “Just say you think life is too short not to kiss the girls you wanna kiss.”

Maggie slowly looked up at the girl. “What did you just say?”

“Well like-” Drunk Girl swallowed the pizza she’d been munching on and waved the hand not holding the rest of the slice around in the air. “You must have told her some bullshit about not being right for each other or different life stages or some shit. But now you’re cutting through that. Life’s too short not to kiss the girls you wanna kiss.”

As she talked, she jabbed at Maggie’s napkin excitedly, urging her to copy down the words.  “And _then_ you tell her that _she’s_ the girl you wanna be kissing.”

Maggie was stunned, staring at the girl slack jawed. How could it have been so simple?

Paul called her order number and she only barely had enough thought to get up and collect it. The cogs in her head were whirring. _Kiss the girls you want to kiss._

Of course.

She sat back down and the table, still a little in shock. She turned back to Drunk Girl. “So then what?”

The girl looked at her like she’d lost her mind. “Then you kiss her, dumbass.”

“That’s Detective Dumbass, actually.” Maggie stood, tucking the napkin carefully into the pocket of her jacket. “Thank you…?”

The girl wiped her hand before holding it out to Maggie to shake. “Tiffany the drunk pizza girl.”

“Thank you Tiffany the drunk pizza girl.”

Maggie led a slightly stumbling Tiffany out of Stilton’s and made her wait while she called up a taxi driver that she trusted to take the girl home. If her plan worked out the way she hoped it would, she’d owe the girl a great debt. The least she could do was pay for a cab and make sure she got home safely.

As Maggie left, walking down the street towards Alex’s apartment building, she heard a call from behind her. Tiffany was hanging out of the window of the cab, her last slice of pizza in hand, dripping grease onto the pavement.

“If you get laid tonight, you better be thanking me!”

 

**Author's Note:**

> Come find us and have a chat: @santonaranja / @ironicpotential


End file.
